DODGY SHOPS
Wizard wheeze
UNOFFICIAL Harry Potter merchandise shops that have proliferated around the West End since Covid can be traced back to one of the leading figures in the group of Afghan nationals that a 2019
Eye
investigation exposed as behind the illicit souvenir shops that littered London and other cities.
Central to the souvenir shop business was Ghulam Afzaly, who, along with a couple of associates, set up the first of scores of dodgy souvenir shops, dodging VAT and business rates prolifically, back in 2006. A couple of years ago, Afzaly changed his name on Companies House records to Sarwar Nabizoda. He still controls the Cool Britannia UK-wide retail souvenir chain.